Hatters boss won’t be changing his management style

Mike Simmonds

Hatters boss John Still won’t change his style despite Luton finding it tough going in League Two so far this season.

After a summer of heavy recruitment, with a number of big name signings, Town find themselves 14th in the table going into Saturday’s clash against high-flying Northampton.

Still has come under criticism from some quarters this term for Hatters’ poor start, but the manager felt it was more to do with players being off form or injured as he said: “Believe it or not, I can’t change my stance. I have a way of doing it, I’m not going to change it, why should I?

“It has never let me down, it got Luton to be interested in me, and lots of clubs before that, so why am I going to change?

“It isn’t working in terms of how I believe we should be doing it, but it’s nothing to do with what we do.

“The players sometimes are not playing well enough, well whatever system you play, if they’re not playing well enough, they’re not playing well enough.

“I just have to work hard to get the best out of them as soon as I can, to believe in them.

“In terms of how I do it and the way I do it, I modify it, of course, I do, but is Jose Mourinho doing any different now? I would say no, and why would he, he’s been incredibly successful, but he’s got players not playing well at the moment and that’s football, for me, it’s all part and parcel of it.”

Still also reiterated that he was unfazed by any criticism of his management style by supporters and that the down times make him even more determined to put things right.

He continued: “I haven’t really got anything to say to them, as it’s the same where I get letters and emails that unbelievably positive, even surprising me.

“Because I am a football supporter, I understand disappointment and when people express their disappointment, that’s a personal thing.

“I actually had that in great numbers when I first came after about three weeks when we weren’t winning.

“I become unaffected by the amount of copy that football clubs would get from all different areas, because if I listen to one, I would have to listen to 1,001.

“You can’t do that. There’s only person I need to listen to, and it’s me. I talk to my staff too, so we’re not honestly affected by it.

“The job is when it’s not great and I actually respond to it because that’s the challenge, that’s the great part of the job, fixing something that’s not working.

“I’m exactly the same today as I would have been if we had gone five or six games winning, I’m not negative about whatever we’re doing. I’m negative about the results we’re achieving, but not about what we’re doing.

“In my own mind, how I have done things at this football club and other football clubs is basically the same, it’s been fantastic for me.”

Still confirmed once more that he hadn’t spoken to anyone from the board about his future, but that the threat of being relieved of his duties is never a worry.

He added: “However the club react to it, you can’t affect that.

“Since I’ve been here this board of directors has been unbelievable with me. We don’t over speak, we don’t.

“When we do speak, they know my views, they know how I see it, know how I believe and I’m also a sensible enough person to know, whoever you are at whatever level, you become under pressure.

“But I don’t really feel that and when supporters vent their angers, even when they’re doing well, I can’t affect that, I can only affect what I do.

“I don’t really take any notice of it as I slightly understand it, not completely understand it, but slightly.”